It is an object of this invention to provide a sheeting fabric which is characterized by having relatively open, sheer areas of an appearance contrasting with adjacent substantially heavier areas and wherein these contrasting areas cooperate to define various decorative patterned effects in the fabric. More particularly, it is an object of this invention to provide novel decorative patterned effects in a woven sheeting fabric by forming in the fabric, sheer substantially transparent areas of an appearance contrasting with adjacent substantially opaque heavier areas.
It is a further object of this invention to produce decorative fabrics of this type by a simple and relatively economical process.
In accordance with this invention textile sheeting fabrics having the aforementioned contrasting sheer and heavier areas are formed of yarns of corespun construction interwoven with one another to form a substantially uniform woven fabric construction throughout both the sheer areas and the heavier areas. Each of the corespun yarns has a continuous multifilament core portion and a sheath portion formed of staple fibers helically wrapped about the core portion to substantially surround and encase the same. The portions of the corespun yarns which extend throughout the sheer areas have the multifilament core portions thereof exposed and are substantially devoid of sheath fibers and are thus smaller than adjacent portions of the yarns in the heavier areas. The sheer areas in the fabric are thus thinner than the adjacent heavier areas to provide further contrast with the adjacent heavier areas.
Sheeting fabrics suitable for use in this invention are of a plain weave construction with a thread count of at least about 125 threads per square inch and typically have a weight of about 3.7 to 4.4 ounces per square yard; they are generally of a substantially balanced construction, with the number of picks per inch being from about 80% to about 100% of the number of warp ends per inch. In a preferred aspect, the decorative sheeting fabric in accordance with this invention comprises a woven percale sheeting fabric having a uniform woven fabric construction of at least about 180 threads per square inch throughout both the sheer areas and the heavier areas, and wherein the corespun yarns have a yarn count of about 34/1 to about 40/1 cotton count and are comprised of a polyester multifilament core portion and the sheath portion being formed of cellulosic fibers.
The decorative patterned effects are produced in the fabric by applying to selected areas of the fabric an oxidizing agent which will carbonize and destroy the readily carbonizable sheath fibers of the corespun yarns while leaving the multifilament core portion intact. Preferably this is accomplished by printing the fabric with a paste containing the desired oxidizing agent, and thereafter heating the printed fabric to activate the oxidizing agent and cause it to attack and destroy the carbonizable sheath fibers.
Several early patents (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 725,823; 1,223,018; 1,804,529 and 1,834,339) have disclosed how decorative, lacelike effects can be produced in a fabric by forming the fabric either wholly or partially of yarns which are carbonizable and wherein the carbonizable yarns are dissolved away throughout the fabric or in selected areas to leave an open or lacelike pattern where the selected carbonizable yarns were removed.
The present invention differs fundamentally over these aforementioned early patents in that the fabric is formed of yarns of corespun construction containing a non-carbonizable core component and readily carbonizable fibers forming a sheath surrounding and encasing the non-carbonizable core portion. Further, the yarns are uniformly distributed throughout the fabric both in the areas where the carbonizable fibers are removed and in the other areas of the fabric where the carbonizable sheath fibers are left intact. The removal of the sheath fibers in selected areas causes these areas to be thinner than the adjacent heavier areas and with the exposed core filaments being spaced apart from one another to provide a sheer substantially transparent appearance contrasting with the adjacent heavier and substantially opaque areas. Since the fabric is of a uniform construction throughout both the sheer and the heavier areas, and with the core filaments remaining intact, the fabric is not significantly weakened by the carbonizing treatment and the fabric can thus be used in applications requiring excellent tensile strength, such as in a bedsheet for example.
A particularly suitable fabric construction for use in producing the patterned fabrics of the present invention is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,221 issued Mar. 4, 1980. This patent discloses a woven percale sheeting fabric formed of corespun yarns and wherein the core component is formed of multifilament polyester and the sheath component is formed of cellulosic staple fibers helically wrapped about the multifilament core portions so that the cellulosic fibers are located at the surface of the yarns to provide improved aesthetic appeal and improved physical characteristics to the fabric.
The present invention provides for an essentially unlimited variety of different pattern effects by varying the size and design of the substantially transparent sheer areas and by employing various printed or dyed colors on the fabric. For example, the substantially transparent sheer areas may be formed in relatively narrow widths outlining a particular design in the heavier substantially opaque portions of the fabric and forming ornate simulated lacelike appearances in the fabric. Alternatively, the sheer, substantially transparent areas may be formed of a relatively large size and may themselves define a desired pattern in the fabric. These variations in size and appearance of the sheer areas, either alone or in combination with variations in color on the fabric, provide patterned fabrics of unusual and visually appealing characteristics.
In achieving various color effects in the fabric, the print paste containing the oxidizing agent can also include pigments or dyes so that the exposed multifilament core portions in the sheer areas of the fabric are dyed or colored, while the corespun yarns in the heavier areas are either undyed or dyed a contrasting color. Further, various cross-dyed effects can be achieved by taking advantage of the different dye affinities of the continuous multifilament core portion of the yarn and the staple fibers of the sheath portion of the yarn.
The patterned sheeting fabrics of this invention may be used in a variety of applications, such as in bedsheets, pillowcases, dust ruffles, comforters, coverlets, and various other applications.